Berlin, Germany [RenewableEnergyAccess.com] Germany’s Instituts fuer wirtschaftliche Oelheizung (IWO – Institute for Economic Heating with Oil) is now testing and developing heating oil blends with a biofuel that can be readily used in existing installations.
German homeowners who utilize heating oil are opening the door to a bio-based alternative: heating oil made from energy plants. According to the IWO, a bio-based alternative is expected to be less expensive at current prices and would help combat energy poverty amongst low-income households.
Energy poverty is on the rise, both in Europe and in the U.S., and heating oil is quickly becoming the driving force of this poverty. In a recent call for more funding, the U.S. National Energy Assistance Directors’ Association (NEADA) says expenditures for home heating oil for U.S. households are projected to be almost 47.3% higher than last year’s level. The average American family is projected to pay about $693 more for home heating oil than last year, for a total of $2,157. In 2005, they paid only $935.
